A man in western Connecticut intentionally set his home on fire to escape after allegedly being held captive by his stepmother for more than 20 years with little food and no medical care, authorities said Wednesday.
Police, fire and emergency personnel responded to reports of a burning home in Waterbury on February 17 and found a woman and her 32-year-old stepson at the residence, the Waterbury Police Department said in a statement.
The woman, identified by police as Kimberly Sullivan, was able to safely evacuate, while her stepson – affected by smoke inhalation and exposure to the fire – required assistance leaving the home, the statement said.
The man, identified by authorities as “Male Victim 1,” said he was locked in an eight-by-nine-foot room and was fed two sandwiches a day with two cups of water for years. He started the fire using hand sanitizer, printer paper and a lighter, according to a police affidavit and arrest warrant filed in state superior court and obtained by CNN affiliate WFSB.
“I wanted my freedom,” he told first responders, according to the affidavit.
A later investigation by authorities alleges the man had been held captive for more than two decades, with extremely limited opportunities to leave the room and went without medical or dental care during that time.
Medical records mentioned in the affidavit said the man weighed about 70 pounds at 5 feet, 9 inches. An officer described his appearance to be “extremely emaciated” and all his teeth appeared to be rotten.
Sullivan was arrested and appeared in court for arraignment Wednesday. She faces multiple charges, including for assault, kidnapping and cruelty, police said.
Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, told reporters outside court Wednesday it is “absolutely not true” what has been alleged.
“He was not locked in a room, she did not restrain him in any way. She provided food, she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations,” he said.
In a statement to CNN, Kaloidis said “Ms. Sullivan is presumed innocent. The warrant details allegations that must be proven at trial. My client maintains her innocence and looks forward to clearing her name.”
The man has been receiving medical care since his discovery, police said.
He claimed he had been held captive by Sullivan since he was around 11 years old, the affidavit said.
“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement. “This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office.”
In interviews with authorities, the man remembered in his early years sneaking out of his room at night for food and drink due to hunger, according to the affidavit.
He said he began being locked in his room when food wrappings he had eaten were discovered, the affidavit said. By fourth grade, he was asking other people for food, stealing food and picking food out of the garbage.
Wellness checks were performed by state social workers twice while he was in the fourth grade after the school notified authorities multiple times, according to the affidavit. He said he was told by Sullivan to claim he was ok.
Eventually, he says he was permanently pulled out of school by his stepmother and only allowed to leave his room for chores, according to police interviews.
“When asked how often this routine was, he stated ‘nearly every day,’” the affidavit says.
When he was around 14 or 15 years old, he said he went with his father to dispose of yard waste. That was the last time he left the property, the affidavit read. When his father died, his alleged captivity became even more restrictive.
“[The man] stated that it got to a point where the only time he would ever be out of the house once his father died was to let the family dog out in the back of the property. Stating it was only about 1 minute a day. Essentially, [he] was locked in his room between 22 to 24 hours a day,” according to the affidavit.
Plywood was secured on both sides of the door to prevent him from leaving the room, the man said. Plywood was discovered on the door by police while performing later search warrants, according to the affidavit.
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